UNICEF Denies Predicting No Male Students in JSS1 in Niger by 2027

Premium Times Fact-Check Finds No UNICEF Study Supporting Governor Bago’s Claim on Artisanal Mining

UNICEF Nigeria has denied conducting or commissioning a study predicting that there would be no male children in Grade 7/JSS1 in Niger State’s Shiroro and Munya Local Government Areas by 2027 because of artisanal mining.

The clarification followed a claim by Niger State Governor Umaru Bago during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on September 20, 2026, in which he attributed the alleged projection to a UNICEF report.

According to the report published by Premium Times on October 6, 2026, UNICEF Nigeria said it had not conducted or commissioned any study specifically examining the impact of artisanal mining on children’s school attendance in Shiroro, Munya or other local government areas of Niger State.

UNICEF, through its Communication Specialist, Samuel Kaalu, however, confirmed that the organisation funded a study titled “The Impact of Insecurity on Access to Education in Katsina, Zamfara and Niger States.”

The study, conducted with the Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, covered Shiroro, Munya and Rafi local government areas and examined how insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, attacks on schools and communal conflicts, affected school attendance and continuity of learning.

Premium Times said its review of the study, published in July 2025, found no statement projecting that by 2027 there would be no male children in Grade 7/JSS1 in Shiroro and Munya because they had left school for artisanal mining.

The report did, however, discuss mining activities in Niger State in the context of conflict and disruption to education. It noted that the discovery of mineral deposits, particularly gold, had contributed to tensions in some communities and that qualitative evidence indicated that mining-related developments had led some families to withdraw children from school and relocate.

The study also noted that boys affected by displacement and insecurity may be more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups or involvement in child labour.

Premium Times therefore rated Governor Bago’s claim false, based on UNICEF’s clarification and its review of the study attributed to the organisation.

The clarification comes amid concerns over the impact of insecurity and artisanal mining on education in parts of Niger State, particularly in communities affected by displacement and disruptions to schooling.